Dear Friends and Patriots,

The Mar-a-Lago raid. What was it about? Why was it done? Where will it all lead?

There’s the obvious: the answers given by the Department of Justice (DoJ). Trump had boxes of documents that are supposed to be in the National Archives. Trump had classified documents. Trump had Top Secret material. Trump was asked to send all the official documents to the National Archives, but he refused. Yeah, all that.

The media of “the right,” such as it is, declared it all a witch hunt. They’ve been shouting out about a Constitutional crisis and threats to democracy. Doesn’t that sound very, very familiar? Aren’t those things we’ve been hearing for years now? It seems as if every time we turn around, either one side or the other is shouting the very same things.

Doesn’t it make you wonder what the heck is going on?

We’re now waiting for the redacted version of the search warrant. Isn’t that curious? If Trump was home, he should have received a copy of the search warrant, but he was in New York City, not at Mar-a-Lago. He was there to do a legal deposition in an unrelated matter and was staying at his “summer residence,” his golf resort in Bedminster, NJ. When the FBI showed up at Mar-a-Lago, his attorneys were called. Christina Bobb, one of those attorneys, showed up and requested a copy of the warrant, but states one was not provided to her.

It’s all very, very curious. Why was the raid done? What were the objectives? Why now?

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy referred to the “weaponization of the Justice Department.” That’s a rather curious statement. DoJ has always been weaponized. It’s a law enforcement organization. Did he mean “politicized”? How do we figure that out? It just seems a bit strange.

My own speculation is the raid had little to do with boxes of documents and other materials that were seized and a lot to do with the media attention the raid garnered. To put it more succinctly, the raid was a carefully crafted media event. It was done while Trump was out of town so it could be contained a bit.

The objectives? Perhaps it’s a bit too early to say for certain. There are a few obvious guesses. It could be that Trump was actually refusing to turn over materials that were asked for by the National Archives, documents and artifacts that would be cataloged and digitized, then could have been checked out by Trump or one of his designees. It could be that Trump did have something he shouldn’t have. Perhaps it was none of those things, but was more of a hunting expedition. The FBI could have been looking for anything the DoJ might use in the future to support an indictment on any charge at all. It could also be that the raid was an end unto itself; that the publicity of the raid was hoped to have a very negative effect on Trump’s popularity and power. Today, we don’t know. Even if we did, it’s certain that the truth of the raid would only get any air time in 10% of the media outlets. The other 90% would run whatever narrative was handed to them by whomever it is that acts as America’s Minister of Propaganda.

It seems logical to think the raid was done to influence the mid-term elections. If that’s true, then it was a move intended to disrupt Trump-supported candidates all across the land; an effort to stem the expected “red wave.” Perhaps that’s just a near-term objective and the longer term objective is more related to the Jan. 6 Committee hearings and the obvious effort to promote the notion that Trump committed crimes, and the DoJ will sooner or later seek indictments for those crimes. It may have been a move that indicates desperation. The Jan. 6 Committee has produced little in the way of tangible substantiation of anything at all. It’s all been smoke and mirrors, not a smoking gun; and so biased in all ways that Americans have paid little heed to it at all. Once in a while a con is oversold. This one is the latest in a series of cons, all perpetrated by the very same crowd as the others. It’s not exactly “ho-hum” stuff, but would be if any group other than the House of Representatives was involved. Instead, the Jan. 6 Committee hearings are a stark reminder to us all that our government no longer works for us, or even cares to pretend to.

Here are a few things to think about.

Donald Trump has great lawyers. If he wonders if something he’s doing is legal, his team tells him. If he had documents from the White House at Mar-a-Lago, and it appears he did, then he had them legally. That doesn’t mean it won’t be made to appear he didn’t, but his lawyers would be very scrupulous to ensure Trump was within the confines of his legal rights and the letter of the law. You don’t pay out millions of dollars on lawyers and not let them protect you.

The Presidential Records Act is pretty specific, though it’s been violated several times in the past. But, this occasion marks the very first time in our nation’s history where a former president was treated like a criminal suspect.

There are many crimes being committed by our government. But, no one will pay. We have to face that fact, as well as the fact that our government is little but a self-serving beast that feeds off all of us.

In the end, the raid on Mar-a-Lago was about the rage of the beast. The beast doesn’t like being referred to as the Deep State, or the swamp. The beast doesn’t like attention. It hides from the light of truth. The beast wants its accusers to go away, to be discredited and shunted off the stage and out of the public’s consciousness.

Donald Trump is a man with great faults and character flaws. In normal times, he would hardly qualify as an heroic figure. But, because he dared to call the beast by its names and challenge, it he’s made the transition into an heroic figure. He lives in the heads of his adversaries. He haunts them. Their fixation on Trump is pathological and easy to see and hear. Today, Donald Trump is providing cover for many whose mission is to save our nation. He’s a lightning rod, taking all the strikes for us. If he doesn’t run for re-election in 2024, it doesn’t matter. He’ll have served his nation well.

There is a question that remains to be answered. It’s a question that gets posed and kicked around, but never really addressed. It’s one that would have to be confronted in the best of scenarios. We have almost the worst scenarios to deal with, so the question is infinitely more important than before. It’s a simple question, really. Who is to be Donald Trump’s successor? Who will be our next champion? Who will take up their sword and shield and fight the beast in our behalf? We need 20 such heroes. Where are they?

Americans love heroes. For decades there have been speculations regarding the lack of real heroes. Some have said Gen. Douglas MacArthur was our last true hero. Think about it. Gen. MacArthur was a man of almost mythic stature; a figure of international acclaim. We have seen attempts to raise up individuals to that level, only to see those people diminished before our eyes. Americans love heroes. But, heroes seem hard to come by. Donald Trump is a true hero. I have no problem making that argument. But, Trump’s time is passing. He’s aging out. It’s just true. So, the question in the previous paragraph remains. It has to be answered. My guess is it will be answered as it always is – someone will eventually reveal themselves as our next hero. Someone will reach out and claim the sword and shield that Donald Trump wielded in our behalf. Someone will try and lead us; to save us all. But, will they succeed? Can they succeed?

One thing I know for certain. Whoever arises to claim Donald Trump’s place will have no easier time than Trump did. Whoever it is will earn their every accomplishment the hard way. The beast will never rest as long as it’s allowed to exist. Any successor to Trump will have to understand the true mission of the next hero is to slay the beast. It cannot be tamed. It’s too big and powerful for that. It can only be allowed to continue to grow and suck the rest of us dry, or it has to be slain. There is no other course that makes sense.

I predict the raid on Mar-a-Lago will produce nothing of substance, but we won’t know that for certain for many months to come. In the interim, our Minister of Propaganda will feed us speculative stories that will be described as “leaks.” The media will howl and proclaim the urgent requirement to indict Donald Trump of high crimes. Their real goal will be a lifetime ban on his future as a political candidate. They would rather see him pilloried in public, shamed and imprisoned. But, they don’t want what might come if that was tried.

They know Trump is transitioning now. He’s gone from billionaire capitalist to politician, and is fast becoming a near-mythic hero. He’s almost there. He’s almost Gen. MacArthur’s worthy successor. He doesn’t need to run in 2024 meet that mark. He just needs to survive the current cons in play and continue to expose the truth of the beast that seeks to devour him. The rest is up to us. We have to acknowledge Trump’s struggles in our behalf while we cast about to find the next one to carry Trump’s sword and shield. We must not fail.

In Liberty,

Steve